Plasma systems are frequently used in the industry for performing various semiconductor manufacturing processes. Plasma systems have been used to clean contamination from the surfaces of wafers, to deposit material layers, for etching, for ion implantation, and for plasma doping just to name a few examples. For any given process step, hundreds of wafers may undergo the process in a given day. As such, any issues or problems with the plasma system can have a significant impact on the number of good die per wafer.
Special detectors that measure the number of ions from the plasma (sometimes known as dosimeters) may be used to measure the plasma ion distribution during a process. The ion distribution may be monitored to determine if the plasma system needs to be taken off-line for readjustment.
Embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.